Big Dream Who Awakens: A Thousand Years of Eye Literature Anthology

Author: Wu Liyang
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-05-01
Features: When I was a child, I listened to adults telling myths and knew about the "" (all-seeing eye) and "" ( ear). These tales sparked endless imagination in my young mind. As I grew older and got married, my late wife, Ms. Guo Yuan (1937—1970), who graduated from Fudan University's physics department and researched cutting-edge technologies like infrared, told me that from a modern technological perspective, radio telescopes and long-distance direct dial phones have already made the mythical "" and "" a reality, and their magical functions have even surpassed those in the myths. However, the myths did not mention a "" (all-knowing eye). In historical records and anecdotes, there are occasional accounts of geniuses who predicted events hundreds or thousands of years in the future, but these are nothing more than nonsense and are not worth a laugh. The "Bakang Song" (Bakang Omen) by Liu Bowen, which emerged in modern times, was a divination created by the people during times of war and turmoil—it was no more than a dreamer's delusion and had nothing to do with historical perspectives. In the early 1980s, shortly after the "Gang of Four" was overthrown, many people reflected on the decade of chaos that had brought unprecedented disaster to the Chinese nation, seeking the roots of the problem. At that time, I read The Thousand-Year Eye by Zhang Sui, a Ming Dynasty author from the Wan period. This book was not widely circulated and is not listed in the General Catalogue of the Siku Quanshu, with only Ming-era printed copies and a collection in The Great Collection of Notebooks and Novels, Supplement surviving. The Institute of History at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, where I work, has a Ming-era printed copy, so I borrowed it to read. What caught my attention was the book's title—I guessed the author must be someone with a historical perspective, otherwise why would he call it The Thousand-Year Eye? After finishing the book, I realized my guess was correct. Zhang Sui was indeed a scholar with a historical perspective. The book discusses the past and comments on the present, transcending a millennium and often standing at the height of history to observe the ancients and the moderns, occasionally shining with intellectual sparks. For example, in Volume 1, it states: "Although King Wu of Zhou despised the officials of the Zhou Dynasty, he could not change the long-standing customs. Over time, it became difficult to reform. Mencius said: 'When a ruler promotes virtuous men, if there is no one else, he will appoint a subordinate over a superior, a distant over a close relative.' In modern terms, why is there any necessity? If one abandons farming tools in the morning and joins the official ranks by evening, people would still be content. The three clans of Lu, the seven clans of Zheng, and the three clans of Chu all dominated their respective regions. Even though they were as greedy as wolves, as cruel as sheep, and as foolish as pigs, their rulers still employed them. Talented scholars and outstanding citizens, however, were suppressed by clans, and countless of them died in the fields." Here, Zhang Sui exposes the harms of the hereditary system of officials in depth. In reality, what he describes is not limited to the great clans of ancient Lu, Zheng, and Chu. Connecting it to the Ming Dynasty's reality, the ugly phenomenon of a de facto hereditary system of officials is almost too numerous to count. I wonder if Zhang Sui did not live to see the downfall of Wei Zhongxian? During Wei Zhongxian's reign of terror, his nephew, son-in-law, and clan relatives rose to prominence one after another. His nephew Wei Liangqing was particularly typical. Originally, he was a farmer in his hometown of Suning, unable to read even a large character, yet Wei Zhongxian promoted him to high positions, from a clerk in the Embroidered Uniform Guard to overseeing the Southern Town Pacification Commission, and then enfeoffed as the Marquis of Suning and the Duke of Ning, even adding the title of Grand Tutor (a very high honor in the Ming Dynasty), as if soaring straight to the heavens. But the higher one climbs, the harder one falls. After Wei Zhongxian's downfall, Wei Liangqing said during his trial, "I grew up in the countryside, content to be a farmer. What do I know about wealth and status? Today, I praise your achievements, tomorrow, I sing your virtues, and my merits are great—naturally, I should be enfeoffed. But I never expected to be forced into a position of power as a eunuch's nephew, and now I am burdened with robes and insignia. Those who praise my merits and virtues are forcing me into wealth—I have no crime!" (From Chou Yin Wen Jian Zhi in Volume 19 of Tian Jue Tang Wen Ji by Xue Gang, a Chongzhen-era printing.) Wei Liangqing's words are truly worth quoting. "Forced by wealth," how meaningful! Even in the last century, on the Chinese political stage, were there not farmers, vegetable sellers, weavers, and security guards from factories, etc., who were suddenly "forced" into the highest echelons of power? How many of them are still around today? The Chinese people are all very clear about this. Clearly, because Zhang Sui had profound historical insight, he could offer deep and enlightening insights when discussing the past and the present. Throughout The Thousand-Year Eye, every passage contains genuine wisdom. Connecting this to Sima Qian's "understanding the changes between past and present," whether in governing, studying, or writing, without a historical perspective, one is inevitably short-sighted. On a grand scale, it can lead to national disaster; on a small scale, it results in mediocrity and prevents great achievements. Therefore, I named this series of selected historical essays "The Thousand-Year Eye Collection." Although only I, who majored in history in college and have always made a living by studying the past, am the editor of this series, both the veteran writer He Manzi and the authors Mu Hui, Chen Siyi, Xiong Zhaozheng, Li Qiao, and Wu Liyang are well-read in history and possess considerable knowledge of the subject. Their historical essays, which look at the past from afar and the present from close up, always use a thousand-year perspective to pierce through the of history, illuminating both past and present. Calling them the "Thousand-Year Eye" is well-deserved. My colleague Mu Hui passed away unexpectedly on June 8, 2004. On June 7, he called me and asked about this series, and I replied that I was still planning it. Now that the series is about to be published, he cannot see it, and I cannot help but feel sorrow. Li Qiao is a close friend I met shortly after moving to Beijing, and we have exchanged visits for over twenty years, discussing everything. After he submitted his essays, he fell seriously ill, but thankfully, after major surgery, he survived the ordeal and is now recovering. I hope the publication of this book is a sincere blessing for my dear friend Li Qiao. On this occasion, I would also like to sincerely wish the renowned scholar Wang Yuanhua, who inscribed the cover for this series, good health and longevity.